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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stand · tear · mouse · club · cabinet · cue · leaves · wake

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. club — for dancing
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — for golf
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com